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The growing movement of local "Arab" Christians who identify with Israel are now asking the state to establish an official school curriculum.

The Israeli Christians Recruitment Forum, which encourages young local Christians to join the Israeli army, is behind the new petition.

"As many know, the Arab schools only teach the history of the Arabs and Islam," the group posted on its Facebook page. "We do not learn anything about the history of the Christian community."

The Forum has teamed up with the Israeli Zionist movement Im Tirzu to prepare a position paper to present to the Ministry of Education requesting the establishment of an official, state-backed Israeli Christian school curriculum.

Opponents of the move would argue that these local Christians are Arabs, so should be satisfied with learning Arab history in the region.

But, in a recent interview with Israeli media, Father Gabriel Nadaf, one of leaders of this new movement, said it was wrong to classify local Christians as Arabs, since the Christian community in the Holy Land far predates the Arab Muslim conquest.